Hidden Revelation
by DancingBrain
Summary: This story take place 10 years after Persona:Revelation. The persona masters had grown up and have their own lives. Now, a new batch of persona users has shown up, along with a new, more subtle threat. R
1. Intro

Persona: HIDDEN REVELATION

Many had forgotten the incident in Lunarvale 10 years ago. The city itself has changed in many ways.

Now, something else stirs in the city. Will it be a repeat performance of the events 10 years ago? Only time will tell.

Author 


	2. Chapter 1: The beginning

**Chapter 1: The beginning**

It was a cold November night in the city of Lunarvale. Snow was falling.

It was silent in the alley, which was normal, considering that it was around 12 AM in the morning. A man walked into the alley. His breath reeks of alcohol and he was swaggering. He was singing an incoherent song, much like any other drunkard.

"Hic, ah... What a night. Hic", he said to no one in particular. He had been rambling loudly since he entered the alley. He didn't care if he cried loudly enough to wake the dead. As far as he knew, he was alone. But that was as far as he knew...He continued walking into the alley, looking for a good spot to relieve himself.

His cries could be heard several minutes later.

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The next morning, the snow had piled to a good 3 cm on the roads. Students were walking into St. Hermelin with shawls, gloves, mittens and all kinds of cold-weather gears on top of their white uniforms. The standard attire has not changed much from 7 years ago. White shirt coats, buttoned down the center. For boys, there were white pants and shoes, for girls, there were the skirt and black shoes with white socks. There were no formal rule for the length of skirt, though, so it can be so short that the panties nearly showed, or so long that only the shoes were visible.

It was 6.30 AM at the time, 30 minutes before the classes start. Mei walked through the gate into the school compound. Her hair was tied back with a small ribbon today.

"Good morning, Mei!" a voice called out from behind her. Mei turned around and smiled when she saw Kanako and Ami, her friends.

"Good morning!" she replied. The three of them gathered and walked towards the school building. As with most girls, their conversation quickly turns to the latest rumors.

"Have you heard about the latest murder case?" Kanako asked Mei.

"No, what about it?" Mei answered.

"Well, the victim was found this morning, and the police are baffled by this case", Ami said to Mei. She just talked about it with Kanako before they met Mei.

"Well, that's not a big surprise", Mei said. "They say that almost every time something new comes up", she continued.

"Well, there is something strange about this one", Kanako said. Mei turned her head towards her, curious.

"The victim found yesterday was missing his heart, but there were no outer injuries on him" Kanako continued. At this, Mei cocked her head to one side.

"What...are you saying exactly? Is it some kind of alien mutilation?" Ami asked Kanako. This one's news to her as well.

"_I_ will mutilate you if you girls don't hurry up and get to class quickly", someone said behind them. They whirled around and saw a woman with short, blue hair.

"Miss Yuki...!" Mei gasped.

"You girls better hurry up. Class starts in 5 minutes, you know." Yuki told them. The three looked at the big clock on the face of the main building and ran as fast as possible into the building.

Yuki sighed and said, "Kids nowadays..." Three boys suddenly zipped past her towards the building.

"Last one into school buys food for the week!!!" Stevan said to Kai and Takeshi.

"I don't have money to spare, you know." Kai said as he gradually pulled ahead of Stevan.

"Give me a break! A lot more of my money goes to you guys than anything else!!!!!" Takeshi said as he ran alongside Stevan. They continued running and arguing. Kai, the one ahead, looked back at the two behind him. He crashed into Mei just seconds later.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaa!!!!" Mei shrieked as she started to fall to the ground. Kai somehow managed to retain his balance and hooked his arm around Mei's stomach, preventing her from falling. Stevan and Takeshi zipped past the girls as if they were standing still. Kai quickly released Mei and ran on in pursuit of his friends, and his money. The girls were silent for a while until they looked at the time. They ran to class with only two minutes before class starts.

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Five minutes later, in class...

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"Alright, class. We're going to change your sitting positions as agreed last Friday", the teacher said above the din of class 1D. He put a square cardboard box with a hole on one side on the table.

The students quieted down as they line up to grab their seating assignment numbers. Mei looked at Kanako and Ami standing behind her. Kanako winked and Mei replied with a thumb up as she took her number and handed it to Mr. Albert. Five minutes later, the students were told where their new seats would be. Mei waited, hoping she would be seated with her friends.

"Mei Shiyama", the teacher called. Mei held her breath.

"You're with Kai at the back", he continued. She gaped, blinked, and blinked again.

"E, excuse me...?", she said after a while.

"You're with Kai," he repeated and gestured towards Kai, who was sitting leisurely in his seat. Mei turned her head slowly and looked at Kai.

He was rumored as the most dangerous student in St. Hermelin. She had even heard rumors that he is the most feared man in Lunarvale's underworld. He's also notorious for his apparent lack of emotion, feeling or anything like that.

And she's going to sit next to him...

"C, can I take another number?" Mei asked nervously.

The teacher shook his head and said, "Sorry, but we can't waste any more of our time on this. Now, siddown". Mei walked to her new place and sat down. She looked over at Kai. Kai ignored her. She turned her head back towards the front of the classroom and slumped forward. It's going to be a long day...

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"I still can't believe you're sitting beside Kai, Mei," Kanako said to Mei during lunch in the canteen.

"It's not fair..." Mei replied.

"Well, at least he didn't do anything to you," Ami said in between bites.

"...Sitting beside him is like being in a graveyard...The only time he ever open his mouth is when he yawns...And he only move his hands to crack his knuckles, other than writing..." Mei said.

"Hmm...True. Most of our classmates are too scared to go near him, and the teachers are too scared to even call him to do anything in class" Kanako said to Mei as she unwrapped her meal.

"Why didn't I get to sit with Akira instead? I'd give anything to see that handsome face sitting next to me," Mei sighed as she began eating. Her friends nodded in agreement. Anyone would love to sit beside the coolest guy in school.

"You know, Mei...you sounded like you were actually watching him very closely", Ami said. Mei stared at her for a minute before her face started to turn beet red.

"Now hold on here....", she began, and was interrupted just a second later.

A loud crash suddenly rang out in the canteen. Everyone turned their heads to the source.

"What's wrong, boy? Can't even hold your food right?", a female student said to a short boy in front of her. Her company, made up of several girls about her size, laughed at the boy. The boy, who was of the same age as her, looked back with fear in his eyes. The girl sneered and drew back her leg to kick him. The boy closed his eyes and drew up his arms in front of his face to protect himself.

One second passed. Nothing came. Ten seconds passed. Still nothing came. The boy slowly opened his eyes and saw the girl holding her leg and grimacing in pain. In between her and the boy was Kai, holding his tray of food. He had counter-kicked the girl's kicking leg and damn near broke it.

"Don't make such a noise. I'm trying to eat here," he said to the group of girls.

"You asshole!", one of the girls screamed as she rushed towards Kai, brandishing a knife.

Kai kicked the girl in the forehead with the toe of his right foot as soon as she was within range, sending her flying into three others in the group. They crashed in a heap onto a table behind them. He looked over at the boy who was harassed just moments before and motioned with his head for him to go. The boy nodded quickly and ran out of the cafeteria.

"OK, who's next?", Kai said to the girls, tapping his right toe on the floor leisurely.

"Hey, it's not nice to hit girls, you know," a voice said behind him. He glanced backwards. The girls stared at Stevan, who just came in and was standing behind Kai.

"Kai, please curb those violent impulses of yours. We don't want to bail you out of jail one day," Takeshi said to Kai as he came up beside Stevan.

"Whatever. They were pissing me off," Kai said to his friends as he walked towards his table, being careful not to step on the spilled food. The girls quickly helped their wounded friends.

"This isn't over, Kai!", the girl that Kai hit on the leg shouted. Kai ignored her and walked over to his usual table with the whole cafeteria still staring at him.

"You know, perhaps it's better not to hear him talk. The only thing that might come out are death threats", Mei said.

"I wonder how those three became friends," Kanako said.

"Heaven knows...Maybe it's because they are not very sociable with the rest of us," Ami said in between bites.

"Are you kidding? Stevan is one of the loudest guys to ever walk in this school, and Takeshi is the top student in the school. How do they fit in with him?" Mei said. Just then, Stevan laughed loudly. Mei raised her hands in that 'see?' kind of position.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to ask them...Any volunteers?" Ami said. They looked at each other, shrugged, and resumed their meal, chatting about that morning's gossip while they were doing so.

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That's it for this chapter. I know it's not much but it'll be big when I'm done with the story (if I ever get around to finishing it, I hope).


	3. Chapter 2: The dream

Chapter 2: The dream  
  
.Come. ..Awaken.. .Seek. ..Fight.. ...Accept.... Mei looked around her. She seemed to be floating in a void. Images of miscellaneous items appeared and faded all around her. She tried to move her body and found herself floating towards a door floating in the void. Her hand reached out tentatively towards the door. Her fingers grasped the handle. She pushed. The door opened. Beyond the door, she saw.a shadow..No, make that two. One looks familiar and the other was too big to be human. The big shadow had what looked like horns all over its body. She started to walk towards the shadows. Despite the size of the large shadow, Mei wasn't scared. She only felt curiosity and a strange kind of longing. As she got closer, she started to reach out to them. Just moments before she touched them, a ringing sound pierced her thoughts.  
  
She woke up. Her hand was outstretched. After a few moments, she sat up and looked for her alarm clock. She found it on top of her nightstand and switched it off. That was the tenth time she had that dream. It started exactly ten days ago but this was the only time she was able to remember it. The dreams didn't bother her in the past since she couldn't remember much of it, but now it feels so real and something about it scared her..'Ah well,' she thought to herself. 'No use thinking about it too much', with that, she got up and walked to the bathroom to take a shower.  
  
"Good morning, Mom!", Mei said to her mother as she walked down to the living room. "Good morning, dear", her mom answered as she prepared a bowl of rice for her. Mei sat down on a chair as her mother set down her breakfast. "Hey, Mei, I heard you got a new seating partner. What's he or she like?", her father asked as he flipped through that morning's newspaper. Mei gulped down her un-chewed food hard, almost causing her to choke. "Wh-where did you hear that from?", she asked her father. "Well, your friends called this morning and told us, dear", her mother answered". "Yeah, they were worried you might skip class because of that", her father continued, still looking through the newspaper. "Oh.well, I'm not going to skip one day of school just because of him", Mei answered and continued eating. Her parents looked at each other. "So, it IS a him", her mother whispered. "Well, that's good to know.", her father whispered back. Mei gave them a confused look before she stood up, picked her bag and left for school.  
  
It is the gym period now. Their teacher is a big bodybuilder kind of man with square features on his face, jutting cheekbones and small, beady eyes. All the students wore their trainers except for Kai. Kai was wearing a sleeveless white shirt with loose, baggy black pants. The teacher knew better than to argue with Kai. He would most likely be ignored or Kai would argue with him to no end. He has a good reason for not wearing his trainers, anyway. He doesn't have any. "Alright, class, for warm up, we're going to do three rounds around the field. Girls can do 2.5 rounds if you can't take it. Kai, you do five", The teacher said loudly to the students and blew his whistle. Most of the students looked at Kai. Some snickered. Some shook their heads. Five rounds on the field meant running for 3 km. Mei looked over and wondered if he would pull it through. As the students start jogging around the field, Kai exhaled, leant back and dashed forward. The students started five minutes ago and most of them are well over 200 meters from the starting point. Given Kai's late start, they were not expecting him to join them any time soon. As such, they were shocked when Kai weaved through them, his body bent low to the ground, just seconds after he began running. He quickly overtook the leading boy and ran on. They looked on and their running slowed down for a while as Kai disappeared from view. They began running again in a few seconds. Two minutes later, he overtook them again. The rest were just finishing their ¾s of the first round. It happened again every two minutes. The leading boy tried to match his speed on his 4th pass, but he was hopelessly left behind and ended up in the middle of the group.  
  
Kai finished at around the same time as the others, despite his late start and having to run 1.2 km more than most everybody else. He was sweating, but his breathing remained regular. Mei looked at him. His shirt was soaked and clung to his body. In uniform, he looked like most ordinary boys in school. But looking at him like this, Mei could see that his body was way more developed than most average students. "Hey, you OK?", someone asked from behind her. She quickly turned around and saw.Akira. Mei's cheeks flushed. Akira was the best-looking guy in her class and he was obviously on every girl's 'hit list', including Mei's. "O, oh, I'm fine!", she said as she jumped up from her sitting place under the tree. Akira had opened part of his training jacket even though it was winter. Looking at him like that, Mei realized that his body was almost as well developed as Kai. She stared at him for a moment. He looked at her and smiled questioningly. A warm object suddenly pressed against her neck. She yelped lightly and turned around. Kai was standing behind her, holding a warm can of green tea in his hand. She looked at his eyes for a moment. Well, only his right eye, actually, since his left eye was covered by his white hair. His right eye was red, bright red. They looked at each other for 20 seconds like that before Kai finally decided to take her right hand and placed the warm drink in her palm. He then turned and left for the next exercise lessons. Mei looked at the can of tea in her hand. She decided to keep it for later.  
  
"Mei, what happened between you and him?", Kanako asked Mei later on during their break period. Mei was drinking the tea Kai gave her. It was still warm, surprisingly enough. Mei looked at Kanako. "What are you talking about?", she asked Kanako back. "That", This time it was Ami who asked, pointing at her can of tea. Mei realized what they were talking about and shook her head vigorously. "How on earth can you think about that?!", she nearly shouted at her friends who were sitting in the same table as her. "Well, it is pretty unusual for Kai to suddenly act nice to anyone", Kanako said. Ami nodded at this statement. "It's nothing, I tell you!", Mei said again, well, more like shouted again. "Please be quiet. You're making too much noise", a soft voice suddenly said behind Mei. She turned around and saw Anne Sugiyama. "A, ah, we're sorry.", Mei said softly. Anne nodded and was about to walk off when another loud voice called out to her. They turned and saw Kai, Stevan and Takeshi. "Didn't expect you to be here!", Stevan said loudly to Anne. "I thought you would be cooped up somewhere studying for some test or something", he continued. "I have to keep my eye on brigands like you", she replied. "Sittin' down all day studying ain't good for your ass, babe", Stevan said again, smirking all the while. "Better than fighting meaninglessly everyday and getting expelled, you big oafish brute", Anne countered. The hostility here was apparent to everyone in the room. Anne was a member of the school's disciplinary committee. Stevan was a regular rule-bender. The implications are obvious. They're worse than oil and water. At least oil and water can stay together. These two are more like oil and fire. Put them together and they'll explode. Kai grabbed Stevan's collar from behind and dragged him away. "Sorry about that", Takeshi said as he bowed slightly to the girls and joined his friends.  
  
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"So, how are we going to do it?", a voice said. It belonged to the girl who was kicked in the leg by Kai. "We won't be able to win against him using brute force", another voice said. This one belong to the girl Kai kicked on the forehead. "So, what do we do?", another girl in the room said. "We ask for his help", the first girl said and snapped her fingers. A shadow suddenly formed on the wall behind her. Her friends looked at it, terrified. The shadow had the shape of a man with what looked like huge claws for fingers. "Wh.what is that?!", one of the girls asked. "My personal demon. Nor even he can beat this..", the first girl replied and cackled madly.  
  
End chapter 2. Nothing much going on. It will change next chapter though. 


	4. Chapter 3: First sign

Chapter 3: First sign  
  
The school bell rang several times, signaling the end of the school day. Kai packed his books and stationeries into his bag. He glanced at his partner. Mei was doing the same to her stuff. Her bag looked considerably denser and bigger, however. He straightened after he packed all his books and walked off. Stevan and Takeshi were outside his class, waiting for him as usual. Stevan smirked and gestured with his head for them to be on their way. Takeshi was pleading to Stevan to let him off the bet. "Look. I'm telling you. I don't have any money to spare!", he said loudly to Stevan. "Yeah, right", Stevan said in that 'yeah right' tone. "You guys have more money than me, that I know", Kai said, and it's true. "Yeah, but Stevan's the one with all the cash here", Takeshi said to both of them. "Oh, c'mon! You're just stingy!", Stevan retorted. "Umm..", a voice said behind them. Kai looked behind him. It was Mei. And her friends. "Hey, ladies. Why don't you join us for dinner? This guy's paying", Stevan said as he point towards Takeshi. "Stevan...!", Takeshi said not-too-softly. "Uh..but.", this time it's Kanako. "OK. It's settled then! Come on!", Stevan said as he pushed the whole group along. "Umm.help?", Ami said softly to no one in particular. Kai sighed as he tagged along behind them.  
  
They arrived at a small café half an hour later. "Good evening", a lady said from behind the counter as the group came into the café. "So, who's paying today?", a middle aged man said from behind the counter. "Him again, uncle", Kai said softly, pointing at Takeshi with his thumb. The 'uncle' laughed and said, "I should've known, with that look on his face". He then looked over at Mei and the other girls. "Hey, who are they, your girlfriends?", he said to Kai's group. "No! It's nothing like that!(Mei) You're kidding right?(Kai) Err..not really(Kanako) Hah! I wish!(Stevan) No, we're not(Ami)....(Takeshi)". "Ah, I see. Another of your unfortunate victims, huh", 'uncle' said. He looked over at Takeshi and sighed. "Alright boys. It's on the house tonight!", he said again. Takeshi positively brightened up at this. "You sure, uncle?", Kai asked. Stevan laughed and said, "All right! In that case, give me the most expensive one!". "But...", 'uncle' continued. "Uh oh", Kai said. "Here comes the but", Takeshi sighed. "You gotta get rid of that lady there", 'uncle' said and pointed at a group of girls. Kai recognized the girls he fought with some time ago. There was something different here, however. The leader of the girls walked up to Kai. Kai gestured with his head to go to the back alleys. Stevan looked at Takeshi. Takeshi shook his head. Kai looked at Stevan and nodded before he walked off with the girls to the alley. "Umm, what was that about?", Mei asked. "Nothing big. They just have a few stuff to go over.", Stevan said. "That's right. And we don't want to interfere.", Takeshi added. Mei wasn't really convinced.  
  
In the alley, Kai and the girls stared at each other. Kai could feel a strange presence around them. It didn't feel human either. "You're dead today, Kai", the leader said. Kai looked at the rest of the girls. They seemed afraid of something, but what? Their fears didn't seem to be directed to him. Then he saw it. The leader's shadow was irregular. It didn't even look remotely human. The shadow suddenly rears up and slashed at Kai using long, sharp claws. Kai leaped back out of reach and landed in a crouching position. "Heh heh heh..What do you think? Nice, isn't it?", the leader said. She cackled madly as the shadow straightened up. Kai stared at it for a while. There were 4 slits on the clothing on his chest from the attack. He stood up and dusted himself off. The leader pointed at Kai with her right index finger and the creature charged forward again. Kai didn't move. The girls began to flinch as the creature got nearer to Kai. Kai still did not make a move. The creature slashed as soon as it is within range. There was a sharp 'skrang' and the creature leaped backwards. The girls, including the leader, stared at Kai. He wasn't hurt. There was not a scratch on him. A shape slowly began to materialize in front of Kai, like a mist that slowly gathers. A translucent shadow crouched at Kai's place, holding a large shield bearing a cross symbol on it. Kai seemed to be encased within the shape and protected by the shield. As the shape became clearer, it was revealed to be a huge man in armor. His left hand bears the shield and his right hand bears a long sword. Kai withdrew something from the shield and positioned it behind him. It wasn't clear what it is, but as soon as he withdrew it, the figure began to dissipate. In a matter of seconds, it had disappeared completely. The shadow charged again as soon as the figure disappeared. This time, Kai charged forward as well. They clashed and ended up at opposite ends of the alley.  
  
The thing Kai withdrew was revealed to be a katana. He was holding it in front of his face after the clash. He straightened up as the shadow behind him shrieked. Kai had cut off one of its arms and the arm had disappeared without a trace. "Urrghh.You!!!", the leader growled at Kai. She was about to give another command to attack when the shadow suddenly rushed towards her. "What the.!", she managed to spit out before the shadow began to expand and envelop her. Kai stared at the shadow at it began to fuse with the girl. Unsatisfied, the shadow moved towards the other girls, who were too shocked to say anything. "Foolish ones", a soft voice suddenly said behind Kai. Kai turned around and saw a man much older than he is. The man had long red hair flowing down to his shoulders. On his right ear, he wore an onyx earring, carved in the shape of 2 intertwining snakes. He wore a brown coat with black shirt, jeans, shoes and gloves. Kai stared at him. There is something about this person that feels familiar. The man stepped in front of Kai and called out softly, "Ashura". A shadow suddenly formed in front of him. The shadow solidified into a grinning figure. The figure stomped on the ground and sent spikes of earth impaling the shadow both from above and below. The shadow gave another shriek as the spikes tore it apart. The figure called Ashura then rushed forward and slammed a huge axe into the shadow, destroying it. As soon as the shadow is destroyed, the figure disappeared. Kai looked at the man. The man turned to leave. "Wait", Kai said. The man stopped and glanced back at Kai. "Who are you?", Kai asked. "You can call me Naoya", the man answered and turned to leave. Kai stared at him for a while and returned into the café to get his meal.  
  
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Naoya took out a hand phone and dialed a number. "Hello", said the voice on the other end when the call went through. "Nate? It's me, Naoya", Naoya said into the mouthpiece. "Hey! It's been a while since you contacted me. What's up? You're doing fine, I hope", the voice replied on the other end. Naoya smiled. He didn't usually contact anyone unless it's really important. Right now, it's not just important. It's almost an emergency. "Yeah, I'm fine. But there's something going on in Lunarvale", Naoya said. The man on the other end frowned. Nate still wore those spectacles from high school. He only changed the lenses a few times to accommodate his improving eyesight. His hair is longer now and it's tied back in a ponytail, but he still kept a neat appearance with his slicked-back hair, unlike Naoya, who looked wilder than his high school days. "What do you mean?", he asked Naoya. "It's happening again, just like 10 years ago", Naoya said, taking out a cigarette to puff on. "You mean..", Nate said, afraid of the answer. Naoya let out a puff of smoke before he answered. "Yes. Persona users. And it might be worse this time around".  
  
End this chapter. First battle scene(sort of). The next update will most probably be about the returning characters(yay). R&R? Stay tuned. 


	5. Chapter 4: Gathering, part 1

Chapter 4: Gathering(part 1)  
  
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"Will that be all, sir?", the porter asked. "Yes, thank you very much", Nate replied. He's in an airport in Washington and heading off to Lunarvale. He's dressed in a formal business suit. He's now the head of Trinity Corporations. He has quite a reputation among businessmen. It didn't really come as a surprise since he's only 25, a very young age for someone of his position. He still haven't forgotten his roots though. He still occasionally think of Alfred, his butler who died during the incident 10 years ago. He chuckled as he walked off with his briefcase towards the departure halls. He couldn't help but chuckle whenever he thought of how obnoxious he used to be. He thought back to his conversation with Naoya the night before. They hadn't talked to each other for what, 4 years now? He wondered how Naoya would look like now. What he said last night bothered Nate. Persona users appearing again, and it might be worse. That can't be good. He planned to get his special division teams to look into the matter. Discreetly. He arrived at the gate and went inside the plane into the economy cabin. A man was reading the latest addition of Times and looked up at him. He stared for a moment, looked at the cover of the magazine and looked at Nate again. Nate smiled slightly and put a finger to his lips. He could understand the reaction. Not many people expect a corporate owner like him to travel in economy class, but Nate is different. He learned that such luxuries were really just a waste of money. He prefer to blend in with the masses. He quickly found his seat and sat down. He closed his eyes. He might as well relax now while he still have the chance. He might not get another chance to relax for a while. He slept a few minutes after the plane took off.  
  
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"Hey, is this the place?", a man asked. "Yup, this is it. My hometown", a girl answered. She had blonde hair reaching down to her shoulders, with those around her ears tied back with a ribbon. She's wearing jean jackets, jean miniskirt, and yellow tank tops. They're in a van with several other men and women, heading into Lunarvale. "So, when do we start filming, Ellen?", a man across the girl asked. "That's up to Mr. Director here", The girl, Ellen, points at a man beside her. He's middle aged and wore the usual ensemble of shirt, tie, and long pants. "Well, I guess we could relax first. Perhaps we will start filming in 3 days or so", the director said. Ellen smiled and said, "Sounds good to me". Ellen used to live in Lunarvale. Right now, she's being asked to do an autobiography by her boss. She could use the 3 days break to look up some of her friends. As far as she could tell, Naoya and Chris are still in Lunarvale. She knew Chris is married and owns a small shop and Naoya is doing odd jobs for a living. Mark is usually overseas, as is Nate. Brad is a talk show host and she met him several times on her job. Alana lives in a small town nearby Lunarvale with her husband. Yuki, as far as she know, is a teacher at St. Hermelin. Mary lives near the suburbs of Lunarvale and has a fiancée. She couldn't wait to meet them again. "OK, we're here", the driver said as he pulled up in front of a luxurious-looking hotel. The crew got out of the van and a hotel staff took the van to the parking lot. "We're supposed to meet our guide here", one of the women in the group said. Ellen sighed. She didn't think the guide was necessary, but her boss insisted on the base that none of the other crewmembers knew the place.  
  
"Glad you could find the hotel", someone said behind them. They whirled around to see a red-haired man wearing black t-shirt, pants, shoes, and gloves. Ellen looked at the man. He looked familiar. "Ah, so you are our guide?", a man wearing a cap and holding a camera (obviously a cameraman) asked. "Yes, I'm sorry if I startled you", the red-haired man said again. Ellen listened to the voice. It sounds very, very, very familiar, but she couldn't put a name to the person. "My name is Naoya Toudou, by the way. You can call me Naoya", the man said again. Ellen's eyes widened and she stared at the man. The others saw her reaction and gave her a questioning look. "Naoya?", she asked. The man looked and her and answered, "Uh, yes. What is it?". Ellen walked up to him and said, "Don't you remember me? I'm Ellen. We used to be schoolmates in St. Hermelin!". Naoya seemed to be taken aback and looked at the sky as he tried to recall. He looked back at Ellen. "Ellen? But..you look so different..what happened to your tail?", he asked her, referring to her ponytail which was tied back with a ribbon, which was one of Ellen's distinguishing features along with her scarf back in high school.  
  
"You're one to talk. You look so different, I couldn't recognize you at first", she retorted, looking at Naoya's slightly messy shoulder-length hair. She also noted that Naoya looked taller and more muscular than 6 years ago, the last time she saw him. 6 years ago, they were of about the same height. Now, he's half a head taller than her. She also saw some scars on his exposed arms. "Great, so you two know each other?", the director asked. "You can say that", Ellen said. Naoya crossed his arms and nodded. "We go way back", Naoya added. "We haven't seen each other for 6 years, though, so I couldn't recognize him at first" Ellen said. "And I had no idea that the famous person I am supposed to be guiding to be you", Naoya said. "You're kidding, right? You don't know about Ellen's visit? We had to take the van because her fans here are always harassing us", one of the women in the group said. Naoya shook his head and said, "I haven't been watching TV for a while". Ellen smiled and shook her head. Naoya is always like that. She'd be surprised if he knew the difference between Britney Spears and Ayumi Hamasaki. "Well, doesn't matter, as long as you do your job", Ellen said. Naoya smirked and shrugged. "Well, it's nice to see you again", he said. Ellen nodded and smiled. "You too", she said.  
  
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"Hey, Mark. Wake up!", a young woman said to a man beside her. "Whassisit? Re weder?(what is it? Are we there?)", the man sleepily answered. The man is Mark. He's changed quite a lot since his days in Lunarvale. He's got a goatee, mustache and all. He still wear a hat everywhere he goes, only this time it's black and white instead of the usual yellow. He wears a t-shirt and cargo pants. Overall, he looks like a rapper. The woman beside him is his fiancée. She's dark-skinned like him and has straight, dark hair. She wears pretty much the same stuff Mark wears. She's 2 years younger than Mark. They met during their studies in America. After Mark became a successful artist, she became his assistant and things went on from there. "We will be. In 3 seconds", she answered. "Well, wake me up 3 seconds later then, Alicia", Mark answered as he fell asleep again. Alicia shook her head. To think he had been so excited about going back to Lunarvale and meet up with his old friends. She looked outside the window. Lunarvale, the city was called. It looks like just any other city. But it certainly has an interesting past, to say the least, if any of Mark's stories about it are true.  
  
After the plane touched down, the pair went off in a rented car. They went straight to Mark's house to rest. Mark's mother was ecstatic at her son's return. It has been 6 years now since she last saw him. She was surprised that Mark has a fiancée. She's even more surprised when she learn that Alicia can speak fluent Japanese. After the introductions, Mark went off to sleep while Alicia took a bath. Mark's mother chided him as usual. Mark ignored her and went on sleeping. He had a dream. In it, he was meeting Demo, his persona. "Why have you come?", Mark asked the persona. They're floating in a black abyss. Demo said into Mark's mind, "I have come as a representative. We, your persona, has felt a change and you shall need our help soon". Mark answered with his telepathy, "What could be so urgent that it requires your awakening?". Demo bowed his head and began to disappear. "You shall find out soon. Your friends shall guide you", Demo said before he disappeared completely. Mark woke up and began to think about the dream. It is a short dream, but he felt that it contain a very big message. He went down to the living room and began to read the newspaper on the table. The headline news was about 6 high school girls who disappeared without a trace just a week ago. There are other news about mysterious murders. Mark looked at them all and began to think. These might be why the persona inside him has begun to awaken after so many years. He called the art exhibition hall in Tokyo to tell them he might have to postpone the exhibition until god knows when. He has a feeling he will be staying here for a while. A long while.  
  
-----  
  
"Here you go, sir", the clerk said. "Thank you", the man in front of the counter answered. They're in a pharmacy with the frog statue near the entrance. "Hey, Mary, are we ready to go?", the man asked a girl with brownish-red hair standing in front of one of the counters. She had long hair reaching down to her waist and tied at the top with a ribbon. "Sure, Eric. Let's go", Mary answered. They both exit the shop and head towards a white Mazda parked outside the shop. "Damn, I'm glad we're out of there", Eric said as they entered the car. Eric is a handsome man with short black hair and nicely formed body. He usually ears a vest over a shirt and jeans. "Why?", Mary asked as she put on her seatbelt. "I can't stand the goddamn song. I can't seem to get it out of my head...", Eric said. Mary giggled as she remembered how Nate used to say the same thing as he unconsciously hummed the tune over and over again. At those times, he would always ask Naoya to hum the tune along so he won't feel like a total idiot. Going to the pharmacy during those times were inevitable, though, as they need as many medical supplies they could possibly get in order to fight the demons. Eric saw her giggling and knew better than to ask. Asking would only clam her up. He started to drive towards an apartment near the outskirts of Lunarvale.  
  
"Hey, TJ! Are you home?", Mary called out as she pounded the door of the apartment. A woman with long blue hair opened the door. "Oh, Mary. Thanks for bringing the medicine", the woman said and invited the 2 guests into the house. "Not a problem. You should really tell your husband to watch his health", Mary said as he entered the apartment with Eric. TJ chuckled and said, "Not like I didn't, but he's too busy looking at numbers to ever listen. That airhead!". "I HEARD THAT!", a nasal voice called out from the room close to the entrance. Eric laughed and went into the room. Soon after, the 2 men could be heard laughing and chatting. TJ sighed. "What will I ever do with that man?", she said. Mary chuckled and sat down on a chair in the living room. "Oh, Mary, I heard that Naoya and Nate has been looking for you", TJ said after she went to the kitchen to make some tea. "Really? What is it about?", Mary asked. TJ leaned in closer and whispered into Mary's ear. Mary's eyes widened as TJ whispered. "I..is that possible? A repeat.?", Mary said to TJ. "I don't know, but you better contact them quickly", TJ said. Mary nodded. If what TJ said was true, then there is no time to waste.  
  
-----  
  
Chris read the paper again. It's the fifth time he read the article now. He had wanted to stop reading, but something compels him to go on. He has heard rumors as well. About strange deaths caused by strange creatures. It's beginning to look like something from 10 years ago. Except less obvious. He had heard that Naoya had been trying to get some of the old persona users to come back together. Chris had not been asked to join them, and he appreciated that. He sighed. He's going to see how things go before he deals any hand into it. He went to the kitchen and saw Mayumi, his wife. She had short, bluish hair, as opposed to Chris', whish is tied back in a wavy ponytail. His son is sleeping. "Is something the matter, dear?", Mayumi asked. Chris looked at his wife and answered, "No, nothing is wrong. Just thinking about something". Mayumi smiled and laid down several plates for their late dinner. Chris did not want to make his family worry. Not now.  
  
-----  
  
"Alana, we're here", a man said in the driver seat of an old Trueno. Alana is also one of the persona users. She's a lot different from what she was 10 years ago. Her brown hair hung down her shoulders in wavy locks and she usually wears ordinary housewives' clothes. That day, she and her husband are going to visit her mother and stay for the holiday. "Hang on, dear. I have to feed her first", Alana said as she spooned a mouthful of oatmeal into Miki's, her 7-month old daughter, mouth. She has 2 children. Terry is 3 years old and just starting to walk. Miki was just born 7 months ago. Her husband's name is Kenji. He wears spectacles and many thought he's 30ish, although he really isn't that old. In fact, he's about 26, just 1 year older than Alana. 'It's the glasses', Alana would always say. Kenji has black hair with gray streaks, which doesn't help matters any. They stepped out of the car as soon as Alana is done feeding her child.  
  
A few hours later, Alana and Kenji went out again. Their children are sleeping soundly in Alana's parents' home. They went to the Augustus temple to pray. "There's quite a few people here today", Kenji commented as they walked in the gates. "Sure is. I wonder where they're from?", Alana replied. They looked around. Alana saw 2 person who looked oddly familiar. She went closer. Kenji followed her. She went up to a blonde girl first. The girl was talking to a group of other people. "...Ellen?", Alana asked. "Eh?", the blonde girl turned around and saw Alana. "Who are you?", she asked. Alana bunched up her hair into 2 ponytails on the side of her head. "It's me!", she said. "Alana! Oh, my, I couldn't recognize you!", Ellen said and grabbed both of Alana's hands. Kenji shook his head. His wife can go into a high school with a uniform and pose as a student. And no one would suspect a thing. A red-haired man suddenly stepped forward from behind him. "What's going on here?", the man said. "Oh, Naoya", Ellen said. "Naoya?", Alana said as she turned around and looked at the red-haired man behind her. "...Naoya? My god, you look so different! What happened to your hair? Have you been working out or something?", Alana said. "Ummm, who..are you?", Naoya asked. "Naoya! It's Alana, remember?", Ellen said. "Alana? Damn, I couldn't recognize you.", Naoya said as he tried to superimpose the image of airhead Alana over the new Mother Alana. "Not a big surprise. You're always absent when we have reunions", Alana said. Ellen chuckled. "That is SO true. No wonder you couldn't recognize any of us", Ellen said. Naoya shrugged. "Well, I better get back to planning the tour route. You girls enjoy yourselves", Naoya said and left. "Hmmph! He's always like that", Alana said. Ellen sighed. Alana looked at her. It may be just her feeling, but Ellen's sigh seemed to be really heavy just now.  
  
-----  
  
"And that's all for today, folks. Stay tuned for the next episode of Brad Chat! This is Brad Uesugi, bidding you adieu!", the TV blared in the hotel room. Brad smiled. He'd never imagined he would land a job as a talk show host. He doesn't look different from his high school days, except he doesn't wear goggles now. Heck, he sometimes wears his old uniform for kicks. He finished the last of his drink and walked outside the hotel. His parents had asked him to stay with them when he came to Lunarvale, but he knew they had limited space and had declined, especially when he heard that his cousin had married and moved into his old house. He sighed and walked into a Peace Diners outlet near the hotel. He took a seat at one of the counters on the wall. "Hey, Brad!", someone called behind him. Brad turned around. "Hehey, Mark!", Brad said as he got up and gave Mark a high five. They laughed. It has been a while since any of them saw each other. "How are you?", Brad asked. "Great! C'mon, let's sit down and we'll talk", Mark replied. They sat down and discussed their lives in the past few years. Alicia joined them and Mark introduced her. After they're halfway through their food and Alicia had left for the restroom, Mark looked at Brad. "What is it?", Brad asked, noting his friend's serious expression. "Brad, has your Persona awakened?", Mark asked back. Brad was shocked by this. "Wh..what? What do you mean?", Brad said. "My persona has awakened. Just yesterday. And it's telling me something is up in this city", Mark said. Brad looked at Mark. Mark wasn't a person who would joke about something as serious as this. "My persona is still dormant..What is going on?", Brad asked again. Mark took out a newspaper from his pant's pocket and pointed at the headline. It's the same thing as yesterday's paper. Another mysterious murder. Brad was silent for a while. "You know what? I think we need to find Naoya and ask him", Brad said at length. Mark nodded. Just then, Alicia came back. Brad and Mark quickly resumed 'normal' conversation.  
  
-----  
  
Chapter 5 coming, still about returning characters. I hope someone is reading this.. 


	6. Chapter 5: Gathering, part 2

Chapter 6: Gathering(part 2)  
  
"Good bye, Miss Yuki!", a student said as she left the classroom of 2-4. Yuki smiled and waved at them. She has been a teacher for 5 years now. She's a good teacher because she hasn't forgotten what it was like to be a student. She must admit that most of the students she teach can't boast about the amount of experience they had. She and her friends had gone to hell and back, literally. Killing demons to live is not the most pleasant experience, but it is still experience, nonetheless. She wondered how they're doing. Perhaps it would be good to see them again. Have a little reunion, something like that. She organized her stuff into her bag and went off to the staff's office. Her thoughts about reunion would have to wait.  
  
As she approached the staff room, she saw someone. A man dressed up in a business suit, talking to Mrs. Smith. He had long, yellow hair tied neatly back. He also wear a pair of glasses.  
  
"Nate?", Yuki asked. Nate turned towards her.  
  
"Hey, Yuki!", he called out. Mrs. Smith turned to look at Yuki. She still has that hairstyle from 10 years ago and she doesn't look too different other than several lines of care which graced her face. She's still smiling all the time. One of the reasons why she's a good and popular principal.  
  
"Ah, Yuki! Nate just came back from America", she said and turned back towards Nate.  
  
"I still have some work to do, so why don't the two of you chat for a while", she said. Nate nodded and Mrs. Smith left for her office.  
  
"Well, talk about the devil.", Yuki said after Mrs. Smith is gone.  
  
"Huh?", Nate said with a confused expression.  
  
"I was just wondering what you guys are up to, and you came in", she said again. Nate chuckled and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you too" Yuki giggled and motioned towards the staff room. Yuki went inside. Nate followed behind her. They sat down in front of Yuki's desk.  
  
"How are you doing?", Yuki asked.  
  
"Pretty good", Nate said and shrugged. Yuki knew it was much better than 'pretty good'. His face is all over the magazines.  
  
"Are you on business here?", Yuki asked.  
  
"Well, sort of.", Nate said. Yuki looked at him. That was a vague answer.  
  
"Sort of?", she asked him again.  
  
Nate just nodded and proceeded to change the subject, and for the next half hour they just talked about things they did in the years past. After that, Nate excused himself and went to his hotel to get some real rest. Sleeping in planes is hell. --------  
  
After Nate left, Yuki sat at her desk, thinking about various things. She walked off to a bus-stop near the school. She remembered having to walk all the way across town 10 years ago during the demonic invasion. Things are really different now. Most students never used the bus service since it's fairly close to the residential areas. Today, however, there are a lot of students and teachers alike at the bus stop. She guessed it was the cold weather that caused it. While waiting for her bus, she surveyed the people around the bus-stop. Most of them are students, chatting about various things ranging from the day's lessons to 'who's the hottest guy/girl/star' kind of topic. None in particular caught her attention. Except for 3 boys who are walking out of the school compound. They're not wearing scarves. Or gloves. Or anything to keep warm for that matter. The fact that they're going to walk in the cold weather didn't bother her. Some people can do that. The fact that they don't seem to be feeling cold at all was what caught her eye. She noticed that they are the most notorious students in school. Kai Kusanagi, Stevan Boravich and Takeshi Shimayagi. Something tugged in the back of her head. There is something about those boys.  
  
Her train of thought was interrupted as her bus came into a screeching halt in front of her. She quickly boarded the bus and made a mental note to keep an eye on those boys.  
  
--------  
  
Naoya opened his eyes. His phone was ringing. It was 4 AM. Someone better have a good reason to wake him up this early, or else...  
  
"Hello", he spoke sleepily into the mouthpiece.  
  
"Hey, Naoya", the voice on the other end said.  
  
"Who is this?", Naoya asked groggily. There was something familiar about this voice.  
  
"I'm Brad. Remember me? We used to go to high school together", the voice replied. Naoya's eyes shot open. Brad? Why would Brad be calling him?  
  
"What is it? You didn't call me just to say hello, did you?"  
  
"Well, no, of course not. It's important. Otherwise, I wouldn't wake you up this early"  
  
"How did you get my number?"  
  
"I called your old house. Your mother told me the number" Note to self, change phone number.  
  
".....Well? Why did you call me?" There was a pause for 2 minutes.  
  
"Well.It's about the current headliners in town", Naoya did a double take.  
  
"Hang on.You're in town?"  
  
"Yup. Mark and his fiancée is here too", another double take by Naoya.  
  
"Mark? He's in town as well?"  
  
"Yeah. I called Yuki yesterday. Looks like Nate is here as well. Thanks to you" Another pause. It looks like the whole gang is here. It's usually a joyous occasion. Not now. Not under these circumstances.  
  
"Brad?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Is your persona awake?" Another minute of silence.  
  
"Not yet. How about yours?"  
  
"They never sleep", Naoya smirked at this. His persona is still active after all these years. He didn't know why. Yuki's persona went into slumber after several years proceeding the incidents, so it couldn't be because he still lives in Lunarvale. It wasn't easy at first since his persona like to manifest themselves at all kinds of odd times. Philemon told him it was because his mind was very chaotic. He had to take lessons in mind focusing to control his persona. He turned to martial arts. It worked, somehow, and the training gave him a nice body.  
  
"I see. Then, I suppose you have a reason to call Nate back here?"  
  
"I wouldn't call him otherwise"  
  
"Then this concerns us as well, right?" Naoya was silent for a while. Truth was, he didn't want to involve anyone else. He wanted his friends to be happy with their lives now.  
  
"Brad, I want you to do me a favor", he said at length.  
  
"Well, what can the great Brad Uesugi do for you now?", the voice on the other end said in that familiar arrogant tone.  
  
"I need you to keep this a secret as much as possible. As far as I can tell, Ellen, Yuki and Alana didn't know anything yet. I contacted Nate and Mary because they have emotional connections to the incident ten years ago, and their personas are pretty much active", Naoya answered.  
  
"But..why?"  
  
"Because their personas hasn't awakened yet, and it is dangerous to involve them in this"  
  
"What? Are the demons loose again?"  
  
"Why did you think Mark's persona awakened?" Another five minutes of silence.  
  
"Alright, buddy. I won't tell them. But you better tell us what you know", Brad said finally.  
  
"Alright. I will meet you this Sunday. Go to the Sun mall. I will be there with Nate"  
  
"Gotcha. By the way...You still look the same, right? I don't want to have to look for you"  
  
"Don't worry. I will tell you the details. Just give me your number"  
  
That ends the conversation. Naoya put down the receiver and began to think. There are other persona users beside them. If only he can make contact with them..Perhaps Yuki could help.  
  
--------  
  
Mei sat bolt uptight in her bed. It was 4 AM. She had that dream again. This is the 30th night that dream came back. It was always the same, and she's getting frustrated because it always made her wake up at all kinds of odd hours. She had been seriously contemplating about seeing a psychiatrist, but decided against it. She didn't want her parents to worry. She slept again for 3 hours and prepared to go to school. She realized 30 minutes later it was Sunday. With a sigh, she changed back to her house clothes. Not a very good way to start Sunday. She spent the rest of the morning doing her homework. She finished at noon, changed into a white t- shirt, blue skirt, blue vest and went off to the mall.  
  
The bus stopped and Mei got off. She rarely went out alone, but today was an exception. She needed time to think. Lost in thought, she walked slowly across the street, unaware that the light had gone green. A truck nearly smashed into her if someone had not pulled her by the arm at the last second. The truck whizzed past her, blowing her untied raven hair flying in the direction of the truck. She stood for a good minute in stunned silence at what nearly happened to her, ignoring the curses and four letter words thrown towards her by the driver. After the shock passed, she looked back at her savior. White hair, gray shirt, black jacket, blue jeans, biker gloves on each hand. Kai. She gulped. She seems to be running into him a lot lately. A lot more than can be considered common coincidence.  
  
"Uh..hi?", she said after a while.  
  
"Watch where you're going", Kai said in that silent, cold voice. Mei nodded and began to move away as soon as Kai released her arm, which hurt from the squeezing from Kai's arm. She was about to walk away when she heard a loud growling from somewhere in her stomach. Kai raised an eyebrow. She turned red. He couldn't have heard that, could he?  
  
"Come with me", Kai said.  
  
"Eh?", Mei replied in surprise. She wasn't expecting this.  
  
"I said, come with me", Kai said as he took her forearm and began to lead her.  
  
"OW!", Mei squealed as Kai's grip tightened. Kai looked at her and loosened his grip a little.  
  
"Sorry", he muttered and continued dragging her to the Peace Diners inside the mall.  
  
In the Peace Diners, they ate. Mei ate a lot since she didn't have any breakfast or lunch. To her surprise, Kai managed to eat more than double her share. They ate in silence. Kai looked at something over her shoulder. She looked back and saw several people behind her. One was a red-haired man wearing black shirt and pants, another was a person she saw a lot in talk shows, Brad Uesugi. Another one was a black man. He looked like a rapper. Mei recognized him from somewhere, but she can't remember. Another was a woman with long, brown hair tied at the top. The last man wore a business suit and his blond hair was tied in a ponytail. He wore spectacles. Kai was looking at the redhead, and the redhead looked back, although not as openly. They were talking in low voices. After a while, they left. The rest of the day was uneventful for Mei. She split up with Kai after the meal and went home. Kai, however, met Naoya, the redhead, and his crew at the velvet room.  
  
"It's you again", Kai said to Naoya.  
  
"Yes, it's me", Naoya nodded and began to move out of the velvet room. He stopped for a moment when he went close to Kai. "I know what you want to ask. Don't worry. I shall tell you the next time we meet", he whispered before he moved on out of the room. Kai stared over his shoulder at the departing group.  
  
--------  
  
"You know him, Naoya?", Nate asked when they were out of the room.  
  
"He's a persona master, like us", Naoya answered as they continue walking.  
  
"What?! I thought we were the only ones who were able to use persona!", Mark chipped in.  
  
"I suppose this is why you have called us here, then", Brad said with a smirk.  
  
"That's right. Persona users usually appear only when demons are around. I have seen both persona masters and demons lately", Naoya stated.  
  
"Is he the only one, or.", Mary said.  
  
"There are others, but his is one of the strongest. He might be of value to us", Nate said.  
  
"How did you know?", Mark asked again.  
  
"Simple. I can read their energy traces. And that boy's is the strongest by far. I have seen others, but they can't compare to him", Nate replied.  
  
"When the time comes, the boy might be the difference between our victory and defeat. Until that time.", Naoya trailed off. His friends knew what he's getting at. Until the new masters are ready, they'll have to do the job.  
  
--------  
  
Alright! That ends this chapter. Tell me what you guys think. 


	7. First encounter

Chapter 7: First encounter 

"It's spring. Winter had just ended and the sakura is starting to blossom. All is right in the world", the voice in the radio said inside Kai's room. 'Yeah, right…', Kai thought to himself as he lay in bed. There are demons everywhere, and the world is right? He does not think so. Then again, there are probably less than a dozen

people who really knows about their existence. Sighing, he got up and changed into his uniform.

He looked around his hovel. A bed, a kitchen sink, a bathroom, a computer on the floor and a fridge comprised his 'home'. It's the best he could do on a welfare budget. He lived alone, his parents having died many years ago in an accident he couldn't remember.

His hair used to be black, but trauma from the incident had changed it to white. He lived with his persona as long as he could remember. He, like Naoya, had turned to martial arts to control his mind. The results were a bit different, though. Kai became very withdrawn. He didn't talk much. Heck, he hardly ever utter a word. Except when with his friends, Stevan and Takeshi. They got along because they were persona masters, or users. The way they met was rather awkward too. Nevertheless, that's a tale for another time.

Kai looked at his alarm clock. 6.50. Time to head to school.

----------------

"Bye, Mom!", Mei shouted as she went off to school with her friends, Ami and Kanako. It's 6.30AM. 30 minutes before school starts. Her hair is tied back today. She walked leisurely alongside Ami and Kanako, talking about things that girls normally talk about, like the latest news in the pop culture.

"By the way, Mei…", Ami started.

"Huh?", Mei turned to face Ami, who's at her left side.

"What were you doing with Kai yesterday at the Sun Mall?", Ami asked.

"Oh, we just had lunch at the Peace Diners, nothing big", Mei replied.

"Nothing big? Are you sure? I never saw him doing that with anyone else besides his friends", Ami said again as they continued walking.

"That figures, he didn't talk to me the whole hour we were eating", Mei said again.

"Wow…How did you manage to live through that?", Kanako asked.

Mei looked at the sky. She contemplated on the question. She was busy eating at the time, and so was Kai. That helped with the awkwardness. Then she realized something.

"Wait….How did you know I was with Kai yesterday?", she asked Ami. Ami gave her a look that said 'hell, you should know'. Mei replied with a look of confusion. Kanako just watched.

"I go to the Sun Mall every Sunday to see my doctor", Ami said.

"Oh, yeah… You're a regular with the new doctor", Mei said. Ami had been going to a doctor who just moved into the Sun Mall a few months ago. He's said to specialize in improving overall health of his patients using unorthodox methods. So far, he seems to be successful. Some are still skeptical, but it doesn't hurt his business any.

"You should try it sometime, Mei. He's good", Ami said. They're right in front of the school gate with 5 minutes to spare.

"I…."

"Move it!", someone yelled behind them.

They turned around and saw a girl about their age. She's flanked by 4 men wearing black business suits, one of whom had yelled a few moments ago. They each had a small pin with the kanji 'Minakawa' engraved on it pinned on their collars. It's clear who they were. Yakuza. Mei and her friends quickly moved to the sides of the street, like the rest of the people around them.

The entourage continued on their way. They passed by Mei and had barely walked a few steps before they had to stop. Someone was in the middle of the street. He appears to be reading a book. Mei looked at the man and tried to put a name to him. It only took a second. The glasses gave it away. It's Takeshi. One of the yakuza began yelling at him to move out of the way. Takeshi walked on, seemingly oblivious to anything going on around him. The yakuza who was shouting finally gave up and walked up to him.

Takeshi turned to face the yakuza before they reached him and pulled out something black from his ears. The yakuza stopped and stared at him. He was wearing earphones, with jazz tunes coming out of it. Good excuse.

Takeshi looked nonchalantly at the yakuza surrounding him, then his eyes fell on the girl. He smiled slightly and waved at the girl, just enough to be noticeable. The girl waved back. Her name was Reiko Minakawa. Her father was Toshiro Minakawa, the head of one of the most influential yakuza organization in Lunarvale. She had seen the man several times before, in her house. They had never spoken to each other, but they caught glimpses of each other a lot. She usually see him with 2 other men, or boys.

"Leave him alone", she said to her men. They looked at her, questions in their eyes.

"But, Miss Reiko…", one of them said.

"That person was one of father's guests. Do you want to upset my father?", she said before the yakuza could say anything else.

Her men hesitantly complied and returned to her side, guarding her as she continued to walk into school. She bowed as she passed Takeshi. Takeshi returned the bow and waited for her to walk into the gates before continuing on his way.

------------

"Ami…", Mei started.

"Yeah?", Ami answered.

"Where are you dragging me?", Mei asked. Ami was holding onto Mei's wrist and pulling her along the sidewalk leading to the Sun Mall. Kanako trailed a few meters behind.

"My doctor", Ami answered. They're almost at the entrance of the mall now.

"What for?", Mei said.

"You must be stressed from having to deal with Kai every day. He might be able to help you", Ami replied as she led them into a clinic located near the entrance to the mall.

"Well, not really…", Mei said.

Ami turned to look at her and said, "Oh, c'mon. He may seem harmless now, but remember that he is the most notorious kid in school with many connections to the yakuza circles around here. You might get involved too, if you're not careful" Mei hesitated and raised an eyebrow. NOW she's getting stressed.

"Here we are", Ami stated as they entered the clinic. She waved at a young receptionist seated in the middle of the small lobby. The receptionist smiled and waved back. They chatted for a while as Mei looked around the clinic. It looks pleasant enough. Mei felt something else, however. Something in this place felt wrong.

She felt something trying to attract her, but something else in her tells her to get the hell out of there. It's unsettling, to say the least. She only felt this kind of repulsion when she's in a cemetery, or places where people died, usually in an unusual manner. She reasoned to herself that there may be some patients who died in or around the clinic. Her right hand reached up to touch her left arm. She was not too surprised to find herself shivering.

Just then, the doctor stepped out of the diagnosis room. Ami and the receptionist both offered their greeting to the doctor. He's a thin man, probably in his thirties. He has straight, black hair, with short bangs, the length reaching down to his collar. He wore square spectacles. The eyes behind them looked gentle, soothing, like a father's. There's not much else to distinguish him from any other man on the street.

Ami spoke to the doctor for a while and then introduced him to her friends. Kanako shook his hand first, then Mei. She immediately wished she hadn't. All the feelings she had just moments ago suddenly piled up when she touched him. It's as if everything she dreaded about the clinic was coming from him, and there's a lot more where it came from. She could feel it.

Out of pure instinct and fear, she snatched back her hand and took several steps back. Her eyes were wide, and her lips trembled. Her friends looked at her, confused. The doctor didn't change his expression. He glanced towards the receptionist. The receptionist nodded and got out of the reception table. Mei took several more steps back. The receptionist took one step towards her. She bolted out the door.

"Mei?!", Ami shouted and ran after her.

"Mei!", Kanako followed suit. The receptionist began to run after them, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked back. It was the doctor. He shook his head and smiled. Not his usual pleasant smile, but the kind one might expect when a hunter found his prey.

"What was that all about?", Kanako asked, panting slightly. They had chased Mei for a block before giving up. They had no idea how fast she could run.

"Beats me…", Ami panted.

---------

Mei ran until she reached the Augustus Park, where the big tree was located. It was dark by the time she got there There, she stopped to catch her breath. Her heart felt like it would pop out of her chest any minute, and her legs ached. She felt like fainting any second now. She leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes. She was crying when she ran. It was her fear. She wiped her eyes and began to think. That had never happened before. She might get some chills occasionally, but never outright repulsion like that. She tried to make sense of it, but decided that it would be best if she did it after some rest at home.

She got up from the tree and was about to leave when something struck her just below her throat. She was pushed back against the tree and the pain made her wince and close her eyes. Whatever struck her is now pressing against her throat. She opened her eyes. She saw a familiar figure, wearing the school uniform for St. Hermelin. His one scarlet eye that is visible stared at her from the parting in that curtain of white hair. Kai.

He was holding what looked like a slightly curved black stick. Upon closer inspection, Mei shivered. It's a katana, the lack of a hand guard making it look like a stick. Kai was holding it below the handle with his left hand, thumb facing towards him, and using the tip of the scabbard to pin Mei to the tree.

"I never would have suspected…", He said softly. Mei struggled to get free, but it was futile.

"Sus…suspected what?", Mei squeezed out the words. Kai drew the katana out of the scabbard, just an inch.

"Don't play dumb with me, demon…", he growled softly, dangerously.

"I…I don't know…what you're…talking…about!", Mei exclaimed. Kai's eye narrowed dangerously and he pressed the scabbard further into Mei's throat. She gasped and tried to protest. Her throat felt like it's on the verge of breaking, and it was.

Kai saw her reaction and used his right hand to brush away some hair from his other eye. Mei's eyes widened when she saw it. It was glowing blue. Not a bright glow like a lamp, but it's glowing nonetheless. After several seconds, he covered it up again. "I guess I was wrong…", he muttered softly. He removed the katana from Mei's throat and she slumped to the ground, coughing as she tried to resume normal breathing. Relieved, she began to sob quietly. Kai raised an eyebrow. He crouched down in front of her and lifted her chin.

"What are you crying about?", he asked in that soft, cold tone. Mei was stunned for a moment, and then she felt anger. She tried to slap him. He caught her hand casually and held it. He could feel her trembling. He sat down in front of her and let go of her hand.

"Explain", he said. She looked up. He was always an imposing figure. Not big, but something in him intimidates people. Tonight, she experienced a taste of why it was so. Now, as he sat across her, she didn't feel scared. She felt a quiet confidence from him instead. It calms her, somehow. Like the feeling someone gets after they're rescued. She began to slowly recount what happened at the clinic. The whole story took 15 minutes. Kai was silent the whole time. After it was over, he sat for another 3 minutes, contemplating silently. Mei fidgeted slightly, but didn't ask him anything.

Kai stood up and lifted Mei up by her arm. Her legs were still weak and she had to cling to him in order to keep standing. Under normal circumstances, she would have found the act embarrassing, something that will make her blush. Right now, it felt like the most natural thing to do. Kai took out a cell phone with his right hand, his left hand supporting Mei. He dialed a number, spoke softly for a while, then put it back into his pants. Without a word, he scooped her up, making her sit on the crook of his left arm, the way someone might carry a child. Mei put her hands around Kai's neck out of instinct as Kai began to walk to the edge of the park.

"Um…", Mei said hesitantly.

"What?", Kai replied, not looking at her.

"Where are you taking me?", she asked.

"Home", he replied, his voice taking a slightly irritated tone. She didn't dare ask him anything else.

The taxi came several minutes later. Kai helped her into the car. Before he left the car, he spoke to Mei. "Remember, do not tell anyone else about this", he said softly, and closed the door before Mei could say anything. He turned away from the car, but stole a glance at the cab driver. The driver grinned and lifted his hat a little, revealing some red hair and narrow eyes. He gave a small nod. Kai replied with a similar one and walked away as the cab began to move.

----------

Kai sat in front of his computer. He's online, in a special chat room specially for him, Stevan, and Takeshi, where their communication is so heavily encrypted, not even government hackers can get in. The computer was a gift from Stevan. Kai used it solely for communication. Takeshi used it for research, besides communication, and Stevan used it for…well, everything else.

_Kensai1_(Kai)_: You here?_

_Cyber12_(Stevan)_: Yo!_

_Supanerd4_(Takeshi)_: What is it, Kensai1?_

_Kensai1: Don't call me that. I hate it._

_Supanerd4: OK, Kai. What is it?_

_Cyber12: Yeah. We're usually the ones waiting for you. Whassup today?_

_Kensai1: You guys know about that new doctor in Sun Mall?_

_Supanerd4: Sure. What about him?_

_Cyber12: Why? You need beauty tips or something?_

_Kensai1: Cut the crap. _

_Cyber12: LOL_

_Supanerd4: Well? What about that doc?_

_Kensai1: I need some dirt on him._

_Supanerd4: What kind of dirt are we talking about here?_

_Cyber12: Don't you mean mud? For beauty treatment?_

_Kensai1: I said cut the crap. I need some kind of history. Backgrounds, work ethics, family history, work history, anything. I want to see if he's got anything unusual to his name._

_Cyber12: LOL_

_Supanerd4: Alright. When do you need it?_

_Kensai1: As soon as possible._

_Supanerd4: Alright. I'll see what I can find._

_Cyber12: What's the deal with the doc? He a demon or something?_

_Kensai1: Might be. I'm out._

_Cyber12: Yo! Hey, wait a sec!_

-Kensai1 is offline- 

_Cyber12: Damn…He just love to do that._

_Supanerd4: Ain't his fault. You know he's not too social._

_Cyber12: Sure I do. But he could at least explain what the hell is goin' on._

_Supanerd4: I'm sure he'll tell us when the time is right._

_Cyber12: Yeah right…_

_Supanerd4: I'm gonna do some research now. Seeya._

_Cyber12: OK. I've got my own research to do._

_Supanerd4: What kind of " research" are we talking here?_

_Cyber12: The usual, female physiology._

That's as much as Kai saw before he went to his bed and laid his body down, face up towards the ceiling.

It's been a long day for him. He had dinner with his friends, which was routine. After that, he just wandered around. That's when he felt Mei. Or rather, the demonic residue on her.

He recalled her story. Whatever she encountered didn't do anything significant to her. No raping, no possession, or anything of that sort. All it did was touch her. Yet, the residue left a strong enough impression to be able to track.

If his feeling is right, the demon is a strong one.

Stronger than the ones he has been dealing with lately, at least, but that's not saying a lot. Even Hanako, that toilet ghost, would fare better than them. In a way, it's a welcome change of pace.

He's getting bored fighting weak monsters.

--------

Sorry for the incredibly late update. Life caught up with me and I need time to get back on track.


End file.
